International 7.3L Short Bus

[skoolie_grease]

Hi and thanks for all the good discussion.

I just bought a short bus and would like to hear if you think I should keep and convert it or sell it for another.

Here are the limited specs: (it's the one in my profile pic)

1991 - International model 3700
Wheel Base 152"
7.3 L Non Turbo Navistar/international Diesel
Indirect Injection
Carpenter Body
160 amp alt.
dual Batteries
New exhaust system
Tires are in good condition tire size is 8.25/20
spicer rear end, gear ratio 5.57
Automatic transmission 545 allison 4 speed
gvwr 23500
25,000 miles

It's got no rust and was only used one year for a special ed group. It was then garaged and sat until now.

I'm planning on converting not only to living space, but also to run on waste vegetable oil. (greasecar.com greasel.com etc) It only has 25K miles, so I figured I couldn't go wrong. I paid $4000 and was this a good deal? What I wanted was something that would last.

I've been reading about the Carpenter bodies and how they aren't safe, or at least certain years from certain factories? Did I just get one of these? Plus, it seems the tranny is not favorable as well. If so, should I sell it and get another?

I don't want a big bus cause I'm a minimalist and don't have a wife and kids. Just need enough room for a girlfriend or two. ;)

Should I sell it now and go for another or will this serve my purpose?

Is it worth investing my time into?

Thanks for any quick thoughts you might have. I really appreciate all the information you've already shared. It's quite a nice resource.

[lapeer20m]

it seems that the 7.3 liter non turbo would have less power than the average skoolie. It's even pretty wimpy in a pickup chassis. But with only 25,000 miles, it's hard to go wrong!

It should run just fine for years and years.

I'm not sure if the injector pump on that engine would be happy on wvo.
Engines with bosch inline injector pumps are happiest on wvo. I'm not positive, but i think the 7.3 liter has a rotory pump??

Not trying to rain on your parade....just trying to give ya some info.

[skoolie_grease]

Hi and thanks for the reply !

I'm not sure if it an injector pump... But the guys at greasel.com said it was a nice engine and would work really well for wvo!

When you say it will run for years and years, what would you expect to break first? So that I can baby it where it needs love.

Is this one of those Carpenters with the bad roof/siding? Or are those only on the long buses?

Just want to know how to take care of this thing so it will live a long and happy life.

[Jarlaxle]

Hit http://www.thedieselstop.com forums for any info needed about the7.3 IDI engine. There are literally hundreds of thousands of posts in the 7.3 IDI forum.

[skoolie_grease]

thanks jarlaxle - now it's time to get my hands even dirtier!

[skoolie_grease]

for the benefit of all, here's the direct link to the 7.3L IDI engine (International and Ford?) forum at http://www.thedieselstop.com

http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubbthre ... oard=UBB28

good active discussion ---

[Jarlaxle]

I'm Jarlaxle there...please stop in the "Other" forum to say hello.

[x_userx]

I just bought a similar bus with the 7.3 diesel and Carpenter body. It came from a new/used dealer who inspected the welds and found no problems. It is recommended that all bodies from the Mitchell plant (it should say on the information plate near the front door where it was manufactured) be inspected - here's the link:

http://www.schoolbusinfo.org/carpbusfinal.html

but also that these buses are still safer than the alternatives (cars and vans) and should not be taken out of service. I guess I feel that the likelyhood of rolling the bus upside down is very minimal compared to the safety of driving my car. I don't think a deer is going to run the bus off the road ;-)

As for the engine, while it slows a bit on the uphill, I can cruise at 60-65 mph for the most part with a manual 5 speed; not sure what difference the automatic makes. The bus has 120,000 miles and still runs great. The lower horsepower of the older non-turbo actually makes it run with less stress and longer life. While I would prefer the DT466, the 7.3 should give you at least 200,000 miles.

[busone]

If you plan to rip the interior out you can inspect the welds. You can also look in the mirrors down the sides of the bus for any sagging. With so few miles the body may not have any problems showing up yet. The engine and tranny are not my favorite. With so few miles it sounds like a good deal. If it was me l would keep it. You have good rubber, no rust and low miles.

[skoolie_grease]

x_userx: thanks for the link!

busone: i'd rather not rip out the top, unless there's no insulation in there. from x_userx's link, i see a little insultation in the roof. would you believe this is the case for this model bus?

[x_userx]

Hey skoolie_grease,

You shouldn't have to rip out all of the roof, just a few of the panels above the windows. They're only a foot or so wide and shouldn't disrupt any insulation when removed one at a time. You need to just look immediately above the windows to see the welds. I haven't personally done this on my Carpenter body, rather it was done by the dealer, so I don't know for sure what the insulation is like, but there were very small bits of fiberglass on one of the seats as evidence that they indeed did pull one of the panels. It did not appear that insulation had fallen out, though.

Anyway, like others I think you have a nice bus with low miles. These things are trusted to carry our precious children, and as such are held to very high safety standards. The likelyhood of significant failure of welds is probably very low, but for the kids any possibility would be enough to create a panic. If you look at the number of recalls for passenger cars and trucks, it puts it all in perspective: skoolies are the safest form of transportation available :-)

So, it's probably a good idea to look at some of the welds, just to discover any significant problems, but if you pull one of the panels and find no cracked welds, then you should be okay.

I guess I should offer a legal disclaimer, as we are in the highest litigation-per-capita society in the universe: I am not a safety professional, and no guaranties as to the truth or accuracy of information provided are claimed. My comments are the sole opinion of myself and any injury incurred, physical or mental, is your own fault ;-)

Skoolies are the kooliest!

[skoolie_grease]

Originally Posted by x_userx

You shouldn't have to rip out all of the roof, just a few of the panels above the windows.

That sounds more reasonable.

I'm actually considering removing some of the interior paneling of my bus so I can do a real insulation job and then put in real walls.

I've got a question for anyone familiar w/ Carpenter bodies.

I started to take out the shiny, reflective thigh-level paneling that extends below the window a foot or so. After I got all the screws out, I started to pry at it and realized part of panel I am removing extends horizontally towards the outside panel of the bus.

Is this something I shouldn't be removing? As in, is this part of the structure of the bus? The last thing I want to do is collapse the roof while I'm inside.

thanks for any tips! ;)

[busone]

I would not worry about the roof collapsing. I have seen a few skoolies where the interior and exteriro skins have been removed. The ribs do all the work.